Caleb Hanie can go back to eating dinners with his wife and two young children back home in Dallas.
The Browns on Tuesday waived Hanie a week after the sixth-year quarterback was signed to clear a roster spot for another player signed from a competitor’s practice squad.
The new player is running back Edwin Baker, a 2012 seventh-round draft pick by the San Diego Chargers from Michigan State. Baker, 5-foot-8, 210 pounds, spent the first 15 weeks of last season on the Chargers’ practice squad. He was elevated to the 53-man roster for the final two weeks and was inactive for both games.
Baker spent the first 11 weeks of this season on Denver’s practice squad. He was on Houston’s practice squad the last three weeks.
The Browns needed another running back because Willis McGahee is in the NFL’s concussion protocol program after being concussed in the fourth quarter in Foxborough, Mass., on Sunday.
The decision to release Hanie is an indication Brandon Weeden is recovering from the concussion he suffered Dec. 1 in the game against Jacksonville.
When the Browns signed him the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, Hanie said: “It’s a crazy league. One week you’re sitting at home eating Thanksgiving with your family. The next week you could be playing for the Browns.”
Hanie was second to Jason Campbell, ahead of Alex Tanney, on the depth chart on Sunday. He did not play against the Patriots.
The Browns could not waive Tanney instead of Hanie because Tanney was signed off the Cowboys’ practice squad before the Jacksonville game while Campbell was recovering from a concussion. A player signed from a practice squad must stay on the 53-man roster signing him for a minimum of three weeks.